Portland man accused of threatening passerby with shotgun, police say

PORTLAND, Maine — A man upset about apparent drug activity in his apartment building was charged with terrorizing Wednesday after threatening a passerby with a shotgun, according to officials.

John Demetracopoulos, 26, was summoned for terrorizing but not arrested, according to Portland police Lt. Scott Pelletier.

An agitated Demetracopoulos was standing on the porch of his Forest Street apartment building with the 12-gauge shotgun when a witness went by.

“He said, ‘I’ll shoot the first person coming to buy drugs,’” Pelletier said Friday. “He was complaining about another tenant in the building who he believes is doing drugs.”

The witness called police, and by the time Sgt. Robert Martin responded, Demetracopoulos had put his weapon down, Pelletier said.

Demetracopoulos was watching a small child at the time of the incident, Pelletier said, but wouldn’t specify the relationship between Demetracopoulos and the baby.

In addition to the shotgun, 34 rounds of shotgun shells, three throwing knives, two combat knives and a machete were found in Demetracopoulos’ apartment, Pelletier said. The Department of Human Health Services was called in as well, as is standard when a child is involved.

Pelletier said not a lot of drug activity happens on Forest Street, a small one-way street near the Expo.